08. Texas A&M Aggies (21-10, 11-7)
Regardless of how this season ultimately ends for Texas A&M, this season should be considered a resounding success for Bucky McMillan. Even with less than elite roster talent, the Aggies have made the most of this season, tallying 11 conference wins - though the results over the past couple of weeks haven’t been all that impressive. Coming into this week, A&M had lost six of eight and was in danger of playing its way off the bubble. Luckily for the Aggies, they picked up wins over Kentucky and LSU to end the season on a high note. With the success of this team and Buckyball in the SEC, it's difficult to look past A&M’s upset potential.
07. Georgia Bulldogs (22-9, 10-8)
Outside of the top two or three teams in the conference, there might not be another team in the conference that I wouldn’t want to face right now. The Bulldogs have won five of their last six games and are once again putting up ridiculous offensive numbers in the process. Just this week alone, Georgia beat Alabama 98-88, making 13 threes in the upset, then following that up by making 17 from deep on its way to a 102-98 victory over Mississippi State. Mike White has done an incredible job reinventing his team this season after playing a completely different style a year ago. With how well the Bulldogs are currently shooting the ball, it would be foolish to count them out of any game moving forward.
06. Tennessee Volunteers (21-10, 11-7)
Most of the season, Rick Barnes’s squad has struggled to score the ball and solely relied on an elite defense to win games. While the defense, for the most part, is still holding up its end of the bargain, the offense has shown flashes, though never consistently. This week was a better offensive week for the Vols. Tennessee snagged a 78-59 win over South Carolina in the midweek game, before falling short without Nate Ament against in-state rival Vanderbilt on Saturday, losing 86-82. This Tennessee team might not have the same upside that some thought it would prior to the season, but the Vols have fared relatively well with their current roster makeup. Though if Ament misses extended time, it might be a short postseason for the Vols.
05. Missouri Tigers (20-11, 10-8)
Missouri fans are frustrated with how this final week of the season went, and rightfully so. A single win this week was the difference between being the 4-seed in the conference tournament and the 8-seed. The Tigers ended up with the latter. A poor offensive outing at Oklahoma put Mizzou behind by 16 at the final buzzer. And the Tigers fell behind by 15 points to a Darius Acuff-less Arkansas team, before coming up short in OT at home. A 0-2 week has Missouri heading to Nashville with a losing streak for the third consecutive season. Ending the season on a high note would have been nice for this team's confidence, but then again, it wouldn’t be Missouri Tigers Basketball without a little stress.